Goon's World Extras

Thursday, September 01, 2016

Former UND Goalie Aaron Dell penciled in as Sharks backup

According to Kevin Kurz of CSNBAYAREA.com, former Fighting Sioux goalie Aaron Dell is "currently" the San Jose Sharks number two goalie. It will be interesting to see if he ends up being the number two goalie on the Sharks opening day roster.

2015-16 year in review: In his first full season in the American Hockey League, Aaron Dell seized the number one job on the Barracuda by posting a 17-16-6 record, 2.42 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in 40 games. That earned him a two-year, $1.25 million contract extension with the Sharks this offseason, and he’s currently penciled in as the backup to Martin Jones on the depth chart.

Dell’s extension also fulfills the Sharks’ obligation to expose at least one goaltender under contract for the upcoming expansion draft next summer, allowing them to protect Jones.

2016-17 outlook: It’s difficult to predict just how Dell will fare in what is expected to be his first taste of NHL hockey, but the University of North Dakota product is much older than your standard NHL rookie, so it’s unlikely his game will drastically change at this point in his career. By all accounts he was outstanding with the Barracuda last season, so he’s earned a chance to make his NHL debut.